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Photoshop 4 Problem Under XP

I used to run Photoshop 4.0 under Win 98 SE with no problem. After switching to XP Home I ran across a glitch immediately after re-installing Photoshop 4.0 under XP:

When I launch PS 4.0 I get the error message "Unable to load PSUT9532.DLL. Photoshop will not be able to support 16 bit plugins. Continue launching?" I click "Yes", PS 4.0 loads, and seems to work OK "most" of the time. Every once in a while though I get a message saying "This program has encountered a problem and must shut down" then PS 4 closes. Not good when in the middle of a project. . .! This problem is unpredictable and seems to happen at random, I never know when it will hit.

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oh yeah...there is something that you can add to ps4.0 which i have also.....but i can't remember what it is. i just switched to xp in june '04 and had the same exact problem you're describing.....now that i've reinstalled the o.s. (trojan prob) my ps keeps crashing on me just like you say.....wow..if i find it i'll come back here and tell you about it.

I may be too old for XP. I had to replace several programs when I bought a new computer. Have you checked the web site? Sometimes the manufacturer will provide updates that make a program more compatible with XP. That is where I would start.

The problem with Photoshop 4.o is that it was designed to recognize memory in terms of kilobytes not megabytes. The manufacturer offers no patch or fix. Obviously they want you to purchase the new $600+ version they now offer. However if under the preferences section you back off the cache level to around 40 gigs the program has less problem with allocating memory. With the exception of working with very large files 1,200,000 or larger, it crashes less often. You just have to experiment with it and save often. Also make sure that your cache file is on the same hard drive as the program. It's not perfect but it allows me to still use the program for most photo editing needs. This is the only fix I have found after a fairly exhaustive search for an answere. Hope this helps and let me know if anyone finds a patch.Modemmogul

I found a patch to fix your problem. It is the 4.01 upgrade for Photoshop 4.0. Adobe quit posting it on their support page. It is in the Adobe forums user to user pages. Here is the link. Read the Read Me files that accompany the patch. I ran it and my software is working better than ever.

Wow, sorry everyone -- didn't receive any answers to my original post for so long I finally gave up. Decided to check once more & saw all these replies. THANKS to all you folks who replied, you are all great in offering your help!

"Modemmogul's" reply dated 12/06/04 is the one that works. Since I installed this patch, PS 4.0 (now PS 4.01) works flawlessly on XP -- no more problems at all! Download and install it, highly recommended.

Glad to hear it solved your problem. I would have to say that after looking for months for a solution I was elated to find that it completely eliminated the problem for me too. I think the 4.01 update has actually made my program run better. Although the newer versions of photoshop are certainly enhanced my old 4.01 is adequate for my needs. Glad it helped.

Thanks for the advice on 4.0.1!! And thanks be to the folks a GOOGLE in helping me to find your advice.This problem had been driving me nuts and I was almost ready to fork over the cost of Photoshop CS2.But after installing the update, I still had the PSUT9532.DLL error on start up. I traced that error to my previous use of the compatibility wizard associating the 4.0 program to Win 98. After undoing the compatibility change, I was able to start up Photoshop 4.0.1 without incident.

After using Photoshop 4.0 LE in visa, it suddenly stopped working one day. It would either act like it was loading forever, or I would get the error message "Unable to load PSUT9532.DLL. Photoshop will not be able to support 16 bit plugins." The only wasy to stop it was to close the .exe application file in the Start Task Manger. I thought it might a virus, and I could not find an answer on the Internet, only that it was too old of a product and not supported by Vista. Finally, after tinkering, I got it to work by temporarily closing anything associated with Windows Media Center, about 3 application files running in the background, under the Start Task Manger. Mike